Deadline a big question: Dalmiya

If like Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Jagmohan Dalmiya is still feeling kind of temporary about himself, he didn't show it at his first media conference after stepping in as interim head of Indian cricket affairs.

No concrete announcements were made but at the Eden, the venue of so many of his media interactions over the years, on Monday evening Dalmiya left no one in doubt about who’s in charge now.

Humble requestSo what if Dalmiya isn't sure of what he can do? “Just 24 hours have passed since I took over. Allow me to settle down. Let us wait and not rush through. Even I don't know the capability and capacity of Jagmohan Dalmiya.”

But about this he is sure: Indian cricket has been tainted and he would do his best to clean up things. “No one can deny that the image of Indian cricket has been tarnished. But at the same time you can't cry over spilt milk. We need to come forward and take our responsibilities,” he said. Exactly how he will do that, time will tell.

For most of everything else, Dalmiya spoke of only possibilities. Such as he may or may not represent the BCCI at the International Cricket Council (ICC). Such as whether Ajay Shirke would return as treasurer, who would be appointed in former secretary Sanjay Jagdale's place in the probe committee appointed to investigate the charges against Gurunath Meiyappan or when the committee would submit its report. “I tried to talk to Shirke, also Mr (Ratnakar) Shetty and others tried to talk to him but not able to communicate with him. I'm hopeful that a decision will come out. I will wait for another 24 hours,” Dalmiya said.

About a deadline for the probe panel's report, Dalmiya said: “It's a million dollar question.” Asked if after-match parties in the Indian T20 league would be done away with, Dalmiya said: “That is a possibility.”

Jagdale’s refusalDalmiya though informed that Jagdale has refused to retract his resignation after being given 24 hours to rethink his decision.

The former ICC president trashed questions raised over the constitutional validity of the decision taken at Sunday's meeting. A veteran of the power plays within the board, Dalmiya said his coming back into the fray wasn't a statement for him and that he is not even thinking of another term as BCCI president. “This is a temporary thing. I thought this is a time when one cannot shy away.”